Leaves: Somewhat to very spiraled and curled when dry, curved and pointing toward one side of the stem, sometimes strongly so (FNA 2007), seldom straight or upright when moist (Smith 1980), not wavy (Lawton 1971), 3-10 mm in length, 0.6-1 mm in width, lance-shaped and cupped below, slowly tapering to the keeled, subulate apex; margins saw-toothed above mid-leaf, sometimes finely, or occasionally smooth throughout; costa extending beyond the leaf tip, usually a bit rough above on the dorsal side from papillae or minute teeth, occasionally smooth, with no dorsal crests near the apex (FNA 2007).

Leaf Cells: Lamina of 1 layer of cells, the cells smooth or a little papillose proximally on the dorsal side, more papillose above dorsally, the cell walls bulging between cells somewhat, and one or both margins 2 cell-layers thick distally; upper laminal cells square to short and quadrangular, lower laminal cells narrow, not porose; alar cells distinct, inflated (FNA 2007), brownish (Smith 1980), the alar area occasionally reaching the nerve and 2 cell-layers thick; costa in X-section with ventral and dorsal stereid bands reaching the upper part of the leaf, guide cells in 1 row, the cells of the ventral epidermal layer not distinct and those of the dorsal layer a little larger than the adjacent stereids (FNA 2007).

Variety fuscescens: AK to NL and NS, WA s to CA, ID, MT, WY, SD, MN, WI and MI, OH s to TN, e to the coast and ne to ME, also GA and NM (FNA 2007). Known in Montana from Glacier National Park (Elliott 2016).

Lawton, E. 1971. Keys for the Identification of the Mosses on the Pacific Northwest. Reprinted from 'Moss Flora of the Pacific Northwest'. Published as Supplement No. 2 of the Journal of the Hattori Botanical Laboratory. Nichinan, Miyazaki, Japan. 66 pp.